Press Release Article

PORT AUTHORITY FACEBOOK FANS CHOOSE TOP THREE PHOTOS FROM THE ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER PHOTO CONTEST

Date: Sep 06, 2013Press Release Number: 92-2013

Nearly 1,000 images submitted of the iconic tower and more than 75,000 votes cast

Fans of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s One World Trade Center Facebook page voted for their top three favorite photographs of the iconic tower, choosing from among nearly one thousand photos submitted in the agency’s One World Trade Center photo contest.

Photo takers from around the world submitted entries through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram during the four-week contest held from July 29 through August 25. Vlasios Rafailidis of Greece, who snapped his photograph while on vacation to New York City, received 13,785 votes with William Duffy of Queens, New York close behind with 12, 221 votes. Filip Michalowski of Stamford, CT rounded out the top three with 11,203 votes.

As a result of submitting the most voted for images, the three entrants, along with two friends each, will receive a tour to the top of One World Trade Center. Tours will take place by December 31, 2013 and all attendees must be eighteen or older and cover their own travel, accommodation and meal expenses.

"As a kid growing up in Queens, I watched the Twin Towers rise into the skyline and on September 11, 2001 when the towers came down I cried like every New Yorker on that tragic day,” says William Duffy. “I have been photographing the progress on the WTC site since 2001 and when my wife Doreen convinced me to enter a photo, I took one on my iPhone. I am extremely honored that my photo received so many votes and I dedicate it to the 2,996 people murdered on that tragic day.”

Fans cast more than 75,000 votes throughout the four week contest during which time people shared their favorite photos of One WTC from a variety of vantage points, including from the ground, air, boats and from across the river in New Jersey. The Port Authority has created a YouTube video to showcase a handful of the nearly 1,000 photos taken by participants.

One WTC stands a symbolic 1,776 feet high and is the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere. It will feature three million square feet of Class A office space and a state-of-the-art observation deck that is being developed and operated by Legends Hospitality. The building is designed to be one of the safest commercial structures in the world. It also will be one of the most sustainable office buildings of its size with a LEED Gold certification.

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where construction crews are building the iconic One World Trade Center, which is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the State of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov.